Behold! The ugliest colour in the world.

Feeling nauseous? Repulsed? Disgusted? Does this colour bring out the same feelings as if someone just walked up real close and carefully whispered “moist” into your ear? Do not adjust your screens, you’re not alone — say hello to the world’s ugliest colour!

The product of months, and likely thousands of Australian dollarydoos, of research by an Australian research and marketing project aimed at discouraging people from smoking. The study found that our good old friend Pantone 448C, affectionately known as opaque couché, takes the prize. The colour has since been deployed on plain cigarette packaging in Australia and the UK.

Pantone was quick to come to Opaque couché’s defence stating, “At the Pantone Color Institute, we consider all colours equally,” explained Leatrice Eiseman, executive director. There was, she said, “no such thing as the ugliest colour”. Rather, 448C was associated with “deep, rich earth tones”, popular on sofas and shoes and other things that might be found in a house.